This is something from the New York Times that could save every one with a cell phone in America 10 to 30 minutes/year- as well as some money.
I hate the long MANDITORY stupid Telco voice mail instruction when I leave a message –why do I gotta once again listen to voice mail about faxing and sending a text message to Beeper?
Well, its about Telco's running up our cell phone air time--remember we pay in whole minute increments!
NY Times columnist has a campaign (going viral?) to get TelCo's to fix it. (PLEASE Do this AFTER you email or call your congressman about a real Public Option for Health Care.) Links below
Do you think anyone in 2009 still needs to be told to hang up after the are done with their voice mail message?
Why no "Press Pound to skip this greeting"?
It’s your voice mail box? Why can’t you put your own instructions to callers?
Well, its about phone companies driving up cell phone minutes...remember we’re billed in whole minute increments...their stupid time-wasting 15 sec mandatory message usually means the difference between 1 minute vs. 2 minutes air time charge when you leave a message.
How to fix it: Join the email campaign started by a NY Times blogger to get cell phone companies to cut the long, redundant MANDITORY preface to the their voice mail system we are forced to have on our phones .
This NYTimes article has more info and links for you to give feedback to phone carriers...but I’ve provided it below also.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
EXTRACT from NY Times article:
The Mandatory 15-Second Voicemail Instructions
By DAVID POGUE
Last week, in The Times and on my blog, I've been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.
Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: "Hi, it's David Pogue. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you"--and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message.......
I've told each of the four major carriers that they'll be hearing from us. They've told us where to send the messages:
* Verizon: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/...
* AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations: MS8460@att.com.
* Sprint: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/...
* T-Mobile: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/...
Three of the four carriers are just directing us to their general Web forums. Smells like a cop-out, I know. (As for AT&T: Props to the guy for letting me publish his e-mail address! Hope he knows what he's in for!)
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